Original source: https://www.inc.com/john-brandon/this-4-letter-acronym-will-revolutionize-way-you-think-about-leadership.html I have adapted the content based upon my experience using it.

Leadership C O R E Principles

1. Communication

Everything hinges on effextive communication in a team. If you find yourself attempting to mind-read ... don't! Ask for clarification and certainty. In my mentoring role now, I talk about over-communicating as a way to avoid conflict. People tend to accumulate their complaints like they are warming them up for later, afraid or just plain reluctant to talk it out. As a manager, you have to constantly ask people what they think, how they are feeling, what they would change. Feedback isn't a checkbox on a spreadsheet, it's a way of life. Communicate effectively and get everyone else to communicate with each other and you will have a good team.

2. Organization

Communication is only one part of the C.O.R.E. concept. Organization is so important, and it takes time, effort, intention, and skill. The best leaders are always organized because they have empathy for the people on their team and know that keeping things in order, and scheduled is what every person craves. Bad leaders live in an eternal state of chaos--you don't know what they are thinking (due to their lack of communication) and you don't know the plan (because they are so disorganized). You must communicate in chaos. Organization will help you achieve time, place, forum and expectations to do so.

3. Relationship

You can be perfectly well-organized and communicate every little concept and plan to your team and still fail miserably as a leader. Communication is sending messages, but for the receiver to process them you must have some sort of shared affinity and reality. To say that differently it is your ability to build a relationship based on shared agreements and agreeable experiences.

Make sure the first question you ask an employee is not about a deadline or a task, and isn't about the org chart changes or the project that is over-budget. Ask about their kids, real life, hobbies, experiences. We're humans, and we need a personal approach that covers our life. Does your staff know you care about them? Do you treat them like numbers or human beings? Make sure you add a heavy dose of relationship-building to all of that fluid communication and detail-oriented planning. This is where empathy comes into play --that is-- your ability as a leader to see life from the eyes of your staff.

4. Expectations

Wrap up this entire package by setting expectations that are clear and obtainable. Not sharing repercussions, or establishing goals, or even communicating about some well-intentioned Key Performance Indicators (or KPIs).

Set those things aside for a moment. They are tools for running a team, but I'm talking about making it clear what you expect out of an employee in terms of what they do in their role, what you want them to achieve, and where this is all heading. It's your "must do" list, the things you care most about as a leader.

That employee that was trying to read my mind long ago was not seeing good communication, and hated the chaos. When people don't feel the affinity they think the relationship is bad. This creates barriers to good communication, and expectations were not clearly discussed and agreed upon. Are you doing that on a daily basis? Have you told every employee exactly what you really want them to do and made it perfectly clear?

Do all four of these things and you will see changes on your team. Get serious about communication. Make organization a huge priority to make sure appropriate communication happens. Strive really hard to build relationships in tangible ways. And state the expectations like they are set in stone. It works.